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PA defeats N.J. in "Crossing the Delaware" charity home run derby

Wednesday, 4/28/2005, Trenton NJDave Gallagher, Steinert High graduate who had a nine-year big league career, including stints with the Phillies and Mets, former hitting instructor for the Trenton Thunder and former head coach of Notre Dame High School a

Steinert High grad, former major league player and former Thunder hitting coach Dave Gallagher helped organize Sunday's "Crossing the Delaware" home run derby to benefit the V Foundation.
(Michael Mancuso/The Times, file)

TRENTON — As tournament organizers were still putting the finishing touches on the inaugural “Crossing the Delaware” home run derby pitting the premier power hitters in New Jersey against those in Pennsylvania a few weeks back, Dave Gallagher laid out the ideal weather scenario.

“In a perfect world, we’ll have an overcast day with the wind blowing out,” Gallagher said at the time with a laugh.

Though the conditions couldn’t have been any more ideal for trying to hit for power with a steady breeze blowing in off of the Delaware River and the sun baking down on Arm & Hammer Park, there’s no question that the event — sponsored by and with proceeds going to the Philadelphia Friends of the V Foundation for Cancer Research — was an unequivocal success.

Each team was represented by 20 players with each player getting 10 swings.

Balls that reached the outfield wall — even on the ground — were worth one point, while balls that bounced off the wall were worth three points, and home runs being worth five points.

The top five point getters moved on to the second and final round.

Riding the strength of Pennsylvania’s Dominic Cuoci — one of just two players to homer twice on the day — the visitors from across the river held on for a 40-34 victory in front of a few hundred family members, friends and fans.

“One of the best parts for me was to see the kids talking in the dugout while the event was going on,” said Gallagher, who helped organize the New Jersey team. “These kids just don’t know each other, because they’re so used to competing against each other. Today, they were on the same team and they got an opportunity to meet each other and to get to know each other. A lot of the top players from both areas were here today, and that’s great.”

Wall High standout Dan Wondrack was the only other player to homer twice, homering in the first and the second round.

Princeton Day School rising senior J.P. Radvany had a big event, collecting nine points, second most on the New Jersey squad.

“It was great,” Radvany said about participating in the event. “First of all, the facilities here are great. They let us use the cages inside, and the field was amazing. The grounds crew did a great job. Everyone who ran the event made it a fun, classy event. In terms of players, it’s cool because most of us guys — (Ryan) Shinn (Northern Burlington), Wondrack and all those guys — play against each other. I’ve played with or against a few of those PA guys as well. It was good to be able to be around such talented kids.”

After getting held without a point on his first four swings, Radvany got on the board with a hard-lined shot that reached the outfield wall. He collected another point on his ninth swing and saved his best swing for his last of the first round, belting a towering homer over the Oxi Clean sign in left field and out of the stadium.

“It felt good. I needed that one for sure,” Radvany said with a smile. “I was kind of down on myself, but I just wanted to hit it as hard as I could and luckily I hit it pretty far.”

The players, their families, friends and fans gathered at Rho night club adjacent to the park afterwards for a banquet that featured a dinner, a showing of Jim Valvano’s historic speech at the ESPY Awards and an auction that included signed memorabilia from Phillies players Chase Utley, Carlos Ruiz and Cliff Lee, amongst other items.

“The big thing I tried to stress to the kids was to just remember what it was for,”
Gallagher said. “I want to help create a good, friendly rivalry and have the kids start thinking about this well in advance. Next year, I want the kids to be thinking about being in the home run derby and representing their state, because the bottom line is the more kids you get involved, the more parents get out here. I’d like to see the student bodies come out here and have everyone head back to Rho afterwards where the auctions will be able to raise more money.”

Contact Kevin Maloney at kevmaloney33@yahoo.com. Follow him on Twitter at kevmaloney33.